U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

 Fact Sheet cops.usdoj.gov

September 2023

2023 COPS Anti-Methamphetamine Program

The FY 2023 COPS Anti-Methamphetamine Program 

(CAMP) is designed to advance public safety by providing funds directly to state law enforcement agencies to 

investigate illicit activities related to the manufacture and 

distribution of methamphetamine. For FY 2023 the COPS 

Office awarded more than $14.9 million in CAMP award 

funds to nine state law enforcement agencies. Each award 

must be at least $1 million; in addition, each award is 

three years (36 months) in duration with no local match. 

Background 

The use of methamphetamine, a central nervous system 

stimulant often referred to by its street names such as 

crank, speed, ice, or crystal, has been a persistent problem 

for law enforcement agencies across the United States in 

recent years. Methamphetamine is cheap and addictive 

and was traditionally developed in clandestine laboratories that were often located in remote areas. Methamphetamine use spreads quickly, most noticeably in rural areas, 

largely because of the simple preparation methods used 

and manufacturers’ easy access to the necessary precursor 

chemicals. 

In more recent years, changing trends in methamphet-

-

-

amine production and distribution have created new 

obstacles for law enforcement and public health agencies. 

While law enforcement efforts and precursor chemical 

sale restrictions have been successful in decreasing 

the domestic production of methamphetamine, foreign 

drug traffickers have capitalized on this decreased avail

ability by quickly expanding their avenues of metham

phetamine distribution as users have sought out new, 

reliable supplies.1

1. National Drug Threat Assessment 2011 (Johnstown, PA: National Drug 

Intelligence Center, 2011), http://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/

pubs44/44849/44849p.pdf.

As the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration notes, 

"Methamphetamine price and purity data, as well as law 

enforcement reporting, all indicate methamphetamine 

continues to be readily available throughout the United 

States. Seizures along with drug poisoning deaths in-

-

-

-

-

volving methamphetamine continue to rise—purity and 

potency remain high while prices remain relatively low."2

2. National Drug Threat Assessment 2020 (Washington, DC: Drug Enforcement 

Administration, 2021), 4, https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2021-02/

DIR-008-21%202020%20National%20Drug%20Threat%20Assessment_WEB.pdf.

COPS Methamphetamine Awards 

Since 1998, the COPS Office has invested more than $500 

million nationwide to combat the spread of methamphet

amine. The COPS Office encourages agencies to focus 

on community policing approaches to methamphetamine 

reduction. The COPS Office also works directly with 

state and local law enforcement agencies to craft innova

tive strategies, track and evaluate their implementation, 

and disseminate results to other jurisdictions confronting 

similar challenges. To combat methamphetamine in com

munities, the COPS Office encourages sites to develop 

partnerships with other agencies, such as the Environmen

tal Protection Agency, fire departments, local businesses, 

mental health organizations, child protection services, and 

other local law enforcement entities. The COPS Office 

also encourages data collection and information-sharing 

efforts aimed at better identifying and responding to the 

needs of drug endangered children.

For example, in previous years the Drug Enforcement 

Administration (DEA) used COPS Office funds to provide 

training to state and local law enforcement professionals 

on clandestine lab enforcement operations, including basic 

certification, officer safety, and tactical training. The DEA 

also used COPS Office funding to improve the clandestine 

lab information-gathering capabilities of the El Paso Intel-
2

2023 COPS Anti-Methamphetamine Program

ligence Center to carry out regional information-sharing 

conferences and to assist state and local law enforcement 

in cleaning up methamphetamine lab sites.

Funding Provisions

In FY 2023, the COPS Office funded more than $14.9 

million in CAMP awards to nine state law enforcement 

agencies to investigate illicit activities related to metham-

-

-

phetamine manufacture and distribution.

Provisions include the following:

	CAMP competitively provides funds directly to state 

law enforcement agencies in states with numerous 

seizures of precursor chemicals, finished methamphet

amine, laboratories, and laboratory dump seizures. 

	CAMP funding must be used to locate or investigate 

illicit activities, including precursor diversion, laborato

ries, or methamphetamine traffickers. 

	CAMP funding is not intended for cleanup, treatment programs, or prosecution of methamphetaminerelated activities.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The following resources discuss various efforts to address the problem 

of methamphetamine:

The Methamphetamine Summit: A Process 

in Collaboration and Decision Making

With an emphasis on cross-disciplinary collaboration and participatory 

research, the summit approach is a case study for improved solutions to 

complex drug problems and holds promise for addressing a wider range 

of drugs in communities across the country.

https://portal.cops.usdoj.gov/resourcecenter?item=COPS-P207

Proceedings of the New England Methamphetamine 

Summit and Listening Post

A crucial component of effective community policing involves collaborating 

with stakeholders of specific crime problems to bring about the most effective 

responses. It was in this spirit that the COPS Office sponsored a one-day 

summit and listening post about methamphetamine in New England states, 

bringing together multidisciplinary teams from seven states. This document 

captures both the formal presentations and group discussion that took place 

at this summit. 

https://portal.cops.usdoj.gov/resourcecenter?item=COPS-W0552

Strategic Efforts to Address Methamphetamine 

in Indian Country

Methamphetamine use in Indian country is an increasing problem and is 

involved in about 40 percent of the violent crime on reservations. Strategic 

Applications International (SAI) brought the Tribal Meth grantees together f

or a four-day summit in Arizona called “Breaking the Meth Cycle.” Attendees 

focused on prevention, law enforcement, and treatment for meth use. This 

BOLO discusses the dilemma of limited criminal jurisdiction, as well as the 

persistent problem of methamphetamine use in Indian country, which has l

ed to a critical increase in violence and crime.

https://portal.cops.usdoj.gov/resourcecenter?item=COPS-W0723

Contact the COPS Office

For more information about COPS Office 

programs, please contact the COPS Office 

Response Center at AskCOPSRC@usdoj.gov or 

800-421-6770 or visit the COPS Office website at 

https://cops.usdoj.gov.

September 2023